Why have things slowed down?

I thought we were moving forward? What happened?

Here’s what I hear Holy Spirit saying. “Things have slowed down because there is a sharp turn up ahead.”

You might be feeling like everything has come to a screeching halt, or at least slowed down a lot. There’s a reason for that. It’s because there is a crazy hairpin turn up ahead and we need to slow down so we can safely navigate the turn.

I don’t know about you but I’ve been feeling like all of a sudden I lost my connection. It feels a bit like when you are streaming a movie and you get that spinning thing on the screen because the internet speed can’t handle all the data. When I was praying about this this morning I was reminded of a word I got from the Lord a few years ago. I didn’t know what it applied to at the time. Holy Spirit impressed upon me that the word is for now.

The word the Lord gave was that a turn that was coming up that would be like navigating the sharp corner in Mulsanne on the Le Mans race course. The actual word I got was, “it will be like going through the Mulsanne pass.” I had no idea what that meant. When I looked it up I discovered that the ‘Mulsanne pass’ referred to the sharp corner along the Le Mans course in the French town of Mulsanne.

Le Mans is a 24 hour long race on about an 8 and half mile track. Nearly 85% of the race is spent at full throttle. Approaching this hairpin turn, however, cars must slow down from over 200 mph to about 60 mph to safely make the sharp corner at the village of Mulsanne. The Mulsanne straight, a 3.7 mile straightaway, has two chicanes (serpentine curves) built into the course to prevent drivers from reaching top speed before coming to the sharp corner turn in Mulsanne. Mulsanne is a hugely important corner. Exiting Mulsanne effectively gives drivers the opportunity to immediately get back into top speed.

So What Does That Mean?

How does this prophetic picture apply to what is happening and how can we interpret that for our own lives? Basically, it means the slow down now is absolutely necessary to ensure that we make it through the turning point that is just up ahead.

God is getting us ready before He opens some things up in people’s lives. In order for them to make the necessary changes they are going to have to down shift first.

Taking things slower will facilitate making the shifts that will be required in order to step into the new thing God is bringing up ahead. It can be frustrating to slow down when we’ve been moving forward at a good pace. But every experienced race car driver knows that down shifting at the right time is just as vital to winning the race as moving at top speed. God has the aerial view of the course. He has the plan. He knows what is coming even though we don’t. No matter how clear a picture we believe we have concerning the future God has called us to there are always things we don’t know and can’t see.

Be patient with the slow down. It won’t be long. All of a sudden everything is going to open up and we’ll be on the straightaway moving at top speed. When we are making a turn we need to pay attention. There’s a lot that can throw us off when we are changing direction. That hairpin turn in the Le Mans is nearly a 90 degree turn. It cannot be made safely at 200 mph.

Take advantage of this time to just enjoy life. Breathe. Don’t worry. This is a time to recover, recharge, and rejuvenate. Rest and relaxation are on the agenda. Rest now because soon and very soon the pace is going to pick up. When we enter the straightaway and life gets busy you’ll be glad you took the time now to enjoy the moment.

As always, the Lord bless you and keep you, the Lord make His face to shine upon you and be gracious to you. The Lord lift up His countenance upon you and give you peace.

Shalom, Betty